Solidify
by PWTMC
Summary: "I'm stuck like this! I can't release the jutsu!" Kakashi/Fem!Naruto - In which Naruto is stuck in what must be about a four foot eleven, one hundred pound frame with double D breasts, killer curves, and a model's picturesque face.
1. A Knock At Your Front Door

A/N: In the midst of my post-LTM updating high, I've decided to take another swing at the whole Kakashi/Naruto paring. This time I decided to turn Naruto into the super uke, like straight up fem!Naruto.

Let's see if I can't pull it off.

OOO

Kakashi woke up to a knock at his door. It was the kind of loud, annoying, incessant pounding that told him whoever it was, he wouldn't like what they had to say. At one in the morning how could it be anything other than bad news? And he wasn't particularly interested in anything someone so rude had to say, either.

Besides, Kakashi didn't get enough sleep these days. Rest between S-ranks tended to be minimal and he was getting _old_. Too old for five hours a night, at least. His sheets were especially warm and inviting tonight. He didn't want to leave the warmth, but two inches away in any direction was a cold spot. Kakashi was comfortable where he was. Guess whoever was at the door was shit out of luck.

Yet it was getting a bit ridiculous and hard to keep listening to.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to even his breathing, to get back to happy dreams and divine rest. Slowly the knocking began to fade out.

And then he heard, clearly, what could have only been a kick. Someone must have known for damn sure that he was home and they were willing to break down his door to get to him. Grumbling out a string of curses, Kakashi tore his blankets off and stood up before making his way to the front door and nearly swinging it off its hinges.

"What?" He spat angrily, his one visible eye glaring intently.

"It certainly took you long enough, you son of a bitch!" His late night guest yelled. Kakashi's neighbors would surely be upset about this in the morning. Her voice was terribly high-pitched and loud for such an inappropriate hour. The one single sentence out of her mouth grated on Kakashi's nerves like nothing else, but she didn't seem to care much.

Now, after getting a good look at the broad, Kakashi realized that he didn't even know this woman. Blonde hair tied up in two messy pony tails, blue eyes frantic – she looked a mess. Maybe she was just as tired as he was and maybe she attacked the wrong man's door tonight. Her ample chest heaving with labored breaths, she brought dainty hands up to Kakashi's chest and she shoved. It hardly even moved him.

"You're such a bastard, Kakashi-sensei!" She screamed.

Just like that it hit him, like a slap to the face. This was Naruto. This was his immature ex-student all dolled up in that childish sexy jutsu he invented for who knows what stupid purpose.

"Naruto?" The Hatake questioned, "What the hell are you doing like that?"

Exasperated, Naruto threw his – her? – arms up, screaming at his elder, "What am _I_ doing? What the hell took you so long to come to the goddamn door?"

"I was sleeping." Kakashi explained, a half-truth at best. He was wishing Naruto away before he even knew Naruto was the one at the door.

"Through all that noise? I don't think so!"

It seemed that the blonde didn't understand what quiet meant, or that it even existed. While this was nothing new, his lack of an inside voice would definitely land Kakashi in a lot of trouble tomorrow.

"Keep your voice down, kid." He warned.

Naruto turned to Kakashi again, visibly ready to murder him, but probably unable to. "I'm _stuck_ like this!" He exclaimed, "I can't release the jutsu!"

Silver eyebrows went straight up. So that was the source of Naruto's freak out? As understandable as that was, Kakashi was beginning to notice lights from neighboring apartments shine through the bottom cracks of their doors. They were waking people up.

But on the other hand, Naruto was stuck in what must be about a four foot eleven, one hundred pound frame with double D breasts, killer curves, and a model's picturesque face. It made the neighbor's predicament seem a bit trivial.

And it was hilarious.

"What were you doing that for in the first place?" Kakashi asked, impressed with his own passive façade as he gave the familiar body a quick once-over. At least Naruto had the decency to dress it before he brought it outside this time.

Still, that body managed to make sweat pants look slutty.

Naruto shrugged so hard it made Kakashi worry that he might dislocate one of those delicate little shoulders he'd conjured up, "I don't know, for laughs?"

"But it's not so funny anymore, huh?"

Naruto screamed in frustration, probably hating the sound of his ultra-feminine voice. Kakashi struggled to stifle his laughter.

But as funny as it was, it was also concerning.

"Okay, okay," Kakashi whispered, stepping aside for his junior, "Why don't you come in?"

Naruto was honestly the last person he needed in his apartment, especially like this; but for the neighbors' sake he figured it was his only option at this point. He watched as the blonde stepped past him – noticing the full foot of height between them – and settled on the couch. Naruto slouched, arms crossed over a flat stomach only because they couldn't be crossed comfortably over such a large bust.

"I can't perform any other jutsu. This body wasn't made for it. How am I supposed to work? What am I supposed to say to Sakura?"

Naruto was justly worried and if he came here for help, he came to the wrong place.

Kakashi shrugged, "Sakura does hate the sexy jutsu…"

Naruto frowned, full lips unintentionally dragging attention toward them. Naruto had stellar taste in women if this was his idea of attractive. Kakashi would definitely tap that.

If she wasn't his male student, anyway.

"So fix it!" Naruto replied, tone snarky and expectant. Typically spoiled beautiful girl.

"And how would I go about doing that?" Kakashi asked, meeting blue eyes with his lazy glance.

"I don't know! You're the one into fuinjutsu! You did that thing for Sasuke, remember? Like ten years ago, with the curse mark? You figured that out, you can figure this out!"

"That didn't really help Sasuke too much as I recall. And I don't think I can help you, either."

"You have to! I don't know what else I'd do with myself!"

It certainly would be a shame if the village lost talent like Naruto to some silly little gag. Kakashi ran a pale hand through his hair, wondering what Minato would do for his son in such a situation.

"Well, it _is_ just a jutsu." Kakashi told him, "Maybe you'll just have to sleep it off. You'll run out of chakra sooner or later."

Naruto's look read pure desperation. Sleep it off? Naruto was a special case. Chakra depletion didn't happen to him. Ever.

They needed a different game plan for this one.

OOO

A/N: The idea flowed so smoothly! I wrote it in one sitting and everything! I love it when that happens. Hopefully that's a good omen. If I could get another chapter of this out soon, that would be fabulous.


	2. No Secrets Here

OOO

It was odd having to knock on his own front door (or, kind of kick at it, rather – his hands were quite full at the moment), but he did it, anyway. A barely legal, half-naked blonde was running around in there. She could have been doing anything her little heart pleased.

And so Kakashi knocked.

The door was flung open almost immediately after and Kakashi craned his neck to get a good look at her, forgetting just how vast the height change was. Naruto wasn't the same Naruto as he was twenty-four hours ago. It was almost like looking at a genin again.

"Oh, good." She said, "I was hoping that would be you. What the hell took you so long?"

Kakashi pushed past her and stepped into his living room to drop the enormous pile of books and scrolls and other literature he had to lug home with him. "You don't get to be bossy here, Naruto." He replied, turning to face his student, "I'm doing you a favor."

Blue eyes rolled, "Yeah, okay. Maybe you could hurry it the fuck up, anyway? Considering, you know, we don't even know if there's a time limit to this or not. Or anything else, for that matter."

Kakashi sighed. He didn't even begin to know where to start. Part of him still felt like he took out the wrong books.

"Maybe we should both head over to ANBU HQ. I'm sure we could find someone more qualified to handle your predicament than I am."

"Nope." Naruto shook his head, "This isn't getting out to anybody."

Kakashi sighed again, bringing a hand up to pinch at the bridge of his mask-covered nose. It seemed like nothing he did was suitable.

"Well, it probably already is out. To Tsunade, at least. And whoever was in ANBU HQ."

One thin blonde eyebrow quirked, "Excuse me?"

"I had to explain myself to get the books I wanted out of that library. It isn't open to just anyone for anything. I had to sign forms, for God's sake! Don't be surprised if this spreads. I took these out of The ANBU library. I mean, for such a secretive group they're... Well, they're not."

Kakashi closed his eyes in one of his trademark smiles, matched by a slightly nervous laugh, and Naruto took this opportunity to storm into the bathroom and hide out for as long as humanly possible.

OOO

Kakashi woke up to a knock at his door. He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it – the book he fell asleep on had a particularly potent stench to them, all old and mildewy. It must have been some kind of dust because his eyes burned like holy hell and his throat hurt, too.

It probably wasn't wise to fall asleep there, but in all fairness he did have a late night. Naruto saw to that. It wasn't his fault he couldn't stay up all day, every day. He wasn't a kid any more.

And these days, around kids like Naruto, Kakashi was pretty glad he was a grown-up. Kids like Naruto were trouble incarnate. Look at what he did to himself without alcohol or a weapon or a big group of other kids. Just him and his boredom. And his imagination.

Kakashi shuddered, then sat up and sneezed.

He also realized that he'd been drooling. He could fully taste the book he used as a makeshift pillow and there was a little dark mark on the right side of his mask from the moisture.

He really didn't even want to get up to answer the door.

"I wouldn't answer that if I were you."

Naruto sat on the couch, firm, young legs crossed at the ankles and lifted up on the back of the couch. That henge of his had some nice thighs on it.

"Don't do that." Kakashi said, wiping at his face with one gloved hand.

"Don't do what?"

Too tired to talk about it, Kakashi brushed it off with a wave of his hand and pushed himself up to his feet. He would be getting the door whether Naruto liked it or not. Chances were it was lady Tsunade herself. She was Hokage and a complete genius. Naturally she would want to come take a gander at the freak show and maybe even solve the crisis. Or at least lend Kakashi a hand. Maybe point them in the direction of a real specialist. Kakashi would be glad to accompany a defenseless young woman – play protector and possibly get paid for an s-class mission. It'd be like free money. Naruto might be a bit fucked up, but he couldn't be useless.

His hand reached for the doorknob and he twisted it, pulling it open to reveal Sakura's obviously fake and broad, plastered-on smile.

"Good thing you answered, I was about two seconds from ripping it off the hinges."

She shoved right past him and made a beeline for her blonde teammate, whom she immediately slapped.

"What the hell? Don't you ever think before you do stuff? I always knew that ridiculous henge of yours would get you into trouble – and now look! The whole village could be in trouble! You're a huge target and if anyone sees you like this, you're an open one, too! You stupid, dumb idiot! I could murder you right now!"

"You almost murdered him with that slap. His frail new lady bones can't take the same beatings from you they used to take."

Sakura spun around on her heels to face Kakashi, glaring at him for his warning. The elder threw his hands up in mock surrender, not willing to fight about it. He was just trying to help them out. It honestly did worry him seeing Sakura hit Naruto like that. She could kill him.

Sakura took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just what the hell is this?" She asked, exasperated.

"I believe he calls it 'Naruko'." Kakashi commented.

Sakura visibly tensed. He was ruining her calm. Maybe it might be best for him to just walk away and let the two of them figure out the next step. Sakura was obviously here to help. Maybe Tsunade sent her.

She sighed again, "Gross."

Naruto sucked in a breath, "Hey! I'm sitting right here!"

OOO


	3. Unladylike Ladies

Note: I genuinely love Sakura. She makes my stories so much better :D

OOO

They have tea. Kakashi sets them up at the small table in the living room, each of them sitting on the floor with a steaming glass set in front of them. As tense and awkward as things were, it was kind of nice. Or, it should have been.

Sakura sighed, trailing one finger over the rim of her glass, "Tsunade sent me over to check on you guys." She explained, "After spending several hours mulling over your situation, she thinks she has a better idea of what we need to do about it."

Her eyes lifted from her tea to Naruto's slim form, a completely different view from his naturally broad shoulders, muscular build, and tall stature. She scanned his body critically.

Finally, Naruto's made-up eyes narrowed in response, "God, bitch! What?"

Her typically snarky and silver-tongued self, Sakura's reply was immediate, "Oh, got a little PMS today, do we?"

"I'm not a real woman. I won't get PMS because I won't get a period, dumbass!"

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Much like how I was surprised when I discovered what horrible taste in women you have!"

So typical for them. The fact that even though Naruto wasn't the same deep-voiced masculine Naruto as he was yesterday didn't change their team dynamic one bit. In his head he was still the same argumentative teenager.

It brought a smile to Kakashi's face.

"Nonsense." The man said with a wave of his hand, "He has great taste in women."

Because that body was amazing.

Sakura's attention shifted from Naruto to her perverted sensei in a split second, fiery expression threatening, "Ew. Don't say that." She then turned back toward the other, equally flushed female, "Especially in front of it."

"Screw you, Sakura!"

"Right back at you."

Kakashi would pay good money to see that. Jiraiya could probably write a whole novel about it. Naruko and Sakura? Beautiful. But the slap fight he senses fast approaching would be less beautiful. Naruto could normally take a hit from their heavy-fisted medic, but today he probably couldn't. It was time Kakashi stopped enjoying the show and really stepped in as team leader. For once.

"You were saying something about solving the crisis, as I recall?" He asked, waving a hand between the two female combatants.

Sakura, as level-headed as she was, managed to take a deep breath and ignore Naruto's muttering enough to get back to business. She knew he would fall in right next to them, too. He just took longer to compose himself than she did. He always did and he always would.

"Tsunade has connections in Suna." She explained, closing a hand around her cup of tea, "She knows a specialist there that might be able to help. Someone that knows more about this crap than you, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, "Gee, thanks."

"Your welcome." Sakura replied, letting his remark roll right off of her. She never fought anyone like she fought Naruto.

"Will I be compen-" Kakashi began to ask.

"It's an S-rank mission. You'll be paid in full for it."

The Hatake nodded, "I'm in, then."

Beside Sakura, Naruto looked appalled. It was a much different expression on his now overly lady-like face. Pouty, glossy lips spread wide open, blue eyes that already popped from eyeliner and mascara all the more open. Quite attractive.

He quirked his jaw, leaning back just a bit. "This is bullshit." He claimed.

Both his teammates were sitting there, talking about him like he was one of their typical assignments, or some damsel in distress. He knew he was weakened, but he couldn't possibly be defenseless. Taijutsu didn't just vanish because you were chakra depleted.

Although, Naruto had always been a target. As a jinchuriki, everybody wanted to get their hands on him. Akatsuki still had their creepy things they wanted to do to him and the demon he caged. He was a damn fine shinobi and while he made a lot of friends he made a lot of enemies, too. Surely there were a ton of them out there, waiting for revenge, lurking in the shadows for a chance just like this one to sink their claws into him

Maybe not just like this one, considering this was something nobody could have possibly ever expected, but generally something similar.

"This whole situation is bullshit." Naruto continued, soft voice raising an octave or two, "I got this sex change I didn't want, I can't defend myself, and now I'm a damn target, too!"

"Actually, you were always a target." Kakashi replied, fingers tapping against the table haphazardly, "It's just that now you can't fight them off by yourself. And you kind of did this to yourself."

Sakura smirked around the cup at her lips in a silent 'I-told-you-so' that Naruto definitely did not miss. She was enjoying this way too much. She might hate this sexy jutsu, but is Naruto remembered correctly, she seemed to love Konohamaru's depiction of Sasuke and Sai. That was the same damn thing!

"I hate you so goddamn much right now, Sakura."

The medic set her cup down on the table with a click, "Hate you too, bitch."

Naruto reached up and tugged his blonde hair out of their pony tails, letting it fan out at his back and brush against the floor. Immediately he realized that if he was stuck in this body for long, he would have to cut it. He wasn't dealing with all that. There was simply too much. How was he even supposed to wash it all?

"This fucking sucks." He mumbled, running tiny fingers through silky strands of his hair.

"Potty mouths are unbecoming on a young lady." Kakashi remarked, tugging Sakura's empty cup toward himself and placing it in his own. Naruto's tea remained untouched.

"You never say anything about Sakura's constant swearing!" Naruto protested.

Sakura leaned in, sticking out her tongue, "That's because I'm a warrior."

And Naruto, in this state, was not. It didn't even need to be said again.

Sakura stood, brushed herself off, and patted Kakashi on the back as farewell. She then gave Naruto a hug, which he accepted, and she left the building.

Kakashi and Naruto had a trip to Suna to make.

OOO


	4. One Room, Two Beds

Note – Oh my GOD, guys, has it been quite a ride so far! I've got a ton of hits and reviews and follows for this fic (which makes me feel beyond honored, seriously) and a million more ideas where these are coming from. I mean, we're definitely in for a long fic.

Then, another totally cool thing, guess what I got yesterday? My first couple flames. From the same angry guy. I sent back a thorough little PM of my own, waited all day for a reply, and didn't even get one! Instead I got blocked. Come on, people. If you're going to start spark it, you might as well extinguish it as well.

Guess I got to have that all to myself, huh? No reply. Should I assume I win?

His name was dhh, by the way. He doesn't know how to argue and my FFN BFF LillithRhiannon tells me that dhh should add a u to his name.

Joking! But in all seriousness, I got big news the other day. Come late October I will no longer be updating this fic, for at least six months. I'm hoping we can at least get midway through by then, so that when I manage to come back to it I'm all set to finish.

I was hoping that with this announcement maybe someone would volunteer to bounce ideas with me (although that person or persons would have to listen to some major spoilers from me). The more the merrier. I need pushes!

My fingers are crossed.

And I'm sorry for the huge author's note :/

And I'm also sorry that this chapter will be shorter than the others. But on the bright side, I may bump them up an extra thousand starting next chapter. 2,000 instead of 1,000 for time's sake. Hopefully you guys can find it in yourselves to forgive me for this mess, then :)

OOO

They hit the road in the morning, as soon as they could manage. Sakura helped Naruto pack, already knowing that without her years of experience he would be helpless.

It was very difficult figuring out Naruto's bra size. The woman he created was decidedly disproportionate. He had to hear Tsunade complaining that her back hurt all the time, which was no doubt from her over-sized chest. Why he would wish for the same thing was incomprehensible. Although, he never did plan on being stuck like he was.

Kakashi ushered his blonde companion through the gates as quickly as he could, in the hopes that they might not be seen leaving. They got lucky, but with Naruto being as out of touch with his skills as he was, they couldn't exactly make a speedy get away. Kakashi could always carry him on his back, but he feared even asking. Naruto would surely flip out.

He was even more sensitive than normal. Kakashi assumed it was the estrogen invading his normally testosterone-filled self.

He must have made the wise decision to give his fantasy woman some muscle under that tiny frame because the walk out of the forest took about five hours going at their slow pace and she made it without so much as a single stop. Or, Kakashi supposed, Naruto may be in a different body but what could possibly shake that can-do attitude of his?

"It's so hot!" He complained, as the trees began to thin out and a city could be made out in the distance.

They had been walking for so many hours and that face was a hell of a lot easier to pity than Naruto's, especially when he had to look down a whole foot to see it. It was kind of like looking at a genin again.

"I suppose we can just stop at the next hotel." He decided, hardly bothering to glance away from the pages of his book.

Naruto sighed in relief. Kakashi could hardly find it in himself to enjoy this walk, so how was his student supposed to tolerate it? Naruto was really lucky. Kakashi was giving in to the hotel more for himself than he was for the blonde.

They didn't speak much more until the hotel was in plain view and they were only feet in front of the door, when a question suddenly hit Kakashi. It was something he didn't even think of once when they left Konoha because he'd been on missions like this with Naruto a million times – the difference this time was that Naruto was defenseless, stuck in a jutsu, and a woman.

"So, do we get one room or two?" He asked. When they traveled as a whole, Sakura always got her own room. It just came with the job when you were a woman in this profession, for privacy's sake.

"One." Naruto replied without even thinking, "I'm still a guy. Not a girl."

"If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck..."

Naruto gripped Kakashi by the front of his flak jacket and tugged surprisingly hard for a girl with such little muscle definition on those teeny-tiny little arms. "This is a special situation." He whispered, more like it was a threat than a statement.

And then he walked in the building, right over to the front desk. Kakashi followed silently. He supposed it was best he be with Naruto at all times anyway, for supervisory purposes if nothing else.

"One room, two beds."

OOO

Naruto threw his crap all over his bed in his search for something to change into. It was quite a spectacle and definitely interesting to watch. He found that the span of his arms was nowhere near what it used to be and combined with the hindrance of his chosen height, he occasionally had to crawl across the bed to reach something, edge to edge.

He'd only taken off a small handful of bras in his entire life and judging by the look on his face when he found one to switch with, he wasn't too excited to get more acquainted with them. Eventually most of what was on the bed fell to the floor, left there for Kakashi to pack back up. That brat was never the neatest of roommates.

For now, he sat on his own bed, taking inventory of his belongings, cleaning weapons, and trying to figure out how they were supposed to make it to Suna in a decent amount of time and without spending every night in a hotel.

Naruto hopped off the fluffy hotel bed on to the plain beige carpet, clean outfit clutched between tan fingers.

"I'm taking a shower." He announced.

Kakashi looked up from the blade in his hand, smile on his masked face, "Take lots of pictures!"

"I didn't make her for you!"

OOO


	5. Man Up!

OOO

Note: Many thanks to Sora Tsuiki, BaltaineShadow, and LillithRhiannon! You guys are totally amazing and definitely helped push me back on the right path. We've got depth now! I definitely know how the fic is going to end and everything I want to happen in between! Seriously, thanks a bunch and if there's anybody I'm forgetting to thank, let me know. It's been a while since I've touched this fic.

But so with the awesome depth and crazy ideas I have now, I don't think I'll be able to finish this fic in the timeframe I was hoping to. Sorry. There will be a fourteen week gap between updates come November-ish, but this fic will be finished! Seriously, I've been on FFN since I was like twelve (not this account, but...). I'm not going anywhere.

OOO

So, Naruto made this form when he was twelve. It's all he could think about when he looked at himself in the mirror, critically scanning his body. He seriously made her when he was twelve - twelve. A time of raging hormones and the very spark of puberty. He was attracted to all this when he was twelve and... Can this seriously be Kakashi's type?

It wouldn't surprise him much, what with Kakashi's taste in literature and everything. If you could even call it that.

There wasn't a clock in the bathroom, but after a long day of chakraless travel Naruto was exhausted and his natural body clock screamed at him that this was bed time. He knew he had to leave the bathroom and crash sooner or later. They would have a long day tomorrow that this body would have a rough time handling on a full night of sleep.

And God, was bedtime going to be uncomfortable now. It wasn't like he could sleep topless, not in this body and not around Kakashi. He didn't want the comments.

Naruto now understood why sexual harassment in the workplace was such a big deal to feminists.

Sighing, he twisted the doorknob and tugged the door open. Kakashi was lounging on the far bed, book in hand and held so closely to his face there was no way he could possibly be reading it. Not unless he had inhuman vision, which Naruto seriously doubted.

He didn't look away from the book, though. And he didn't say anything, either.

Naruto got in his own bed, kicking out crisp hotel sheets above him. He never liked hotel beds. They always made him uncomfortable and kind of home-sick. It wad odd, considering he could travel for days and days or sleep in the forest no problem, or every anyone else's place, but hotels just bothered him. So impersonal.

Naruto wondered when Kakashi would shut the damn light off.

"Sensei?" He asked, tucking an arm under his head.

"Yes?"

"Don't dream about me in the shower."

"No promises."

As long as he didn't teach himself to lucid dream, Naruto supposed...

OOO

Naruto woke up in the morning - short legs tangled up awkwardly in the sheets, mouth open, drool on the pillow - all by himself. The bed across the room where Kakashi had previously slept was unoccupied and the place was small enough for Naruto to be able to see into the opened bathroom door.

Kakashi was nowhere.

Normally that wouldn't be a problem but today, to Naruto's utmost disgust, his first thought was that with Kakashi not here, he was in danger. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, let alone any other human being, he was weakened. This body didn't have the strength in it that his other, natural form had and because of that he shouldn't be without protection.

The logical side of him really, honestly did know that he was a target for many groups of many people. It wasn't very comforting now that he could hardly even walk a couple dozen miles without fatiguing out. He used to be able to sprint that in his sleep.

He sat up and stretched, arms up, legs out. They hardly even brushed the floor. Actually getting out of bed became a whole new experience. At least in hotels, anyway. Naruto's bed at home was much closer to the ground.

In his bag was his change of clothes, which took significantly less time to get into than it took to get dressed last night.

As soon as he was dressed and doing away with his dirty clothes, Kakashi stepped back in. Perfect timing.

"Where'd you get off to?" Naruto asked, not even looking up from his task.

"Out." The older ninja replied, deep voice chasing Naruto's high pitched tone, bluntly opposite, "I figured you would be needing your rest. All we have on the agenda for the next day or so is travel. Lots of walking. You're packed already, then?"

They only stayed one night. He never really even got a chance to unpack. Instead of pointing out the obvious to typically hopeless Kakashi, Naruto stood and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Let's go."

They left the hotel in their normal, casual fashion. Normally Naruto would have someone to make small talk with (or even, when it came to missions with Sakura, to make actual conversation with), but Kakashi focused all his attention on his book. The day he took his attention far enough off the walk and fell would be a happy one.

Although, Kakashi was Kakashi. Even when he wasn't paying any mind to his surroundings, it was like he knew everything, everywhere like the back of his hand.

And Naruto just couldn't feel it any more.

They walked until the buildings began to thin out in exchange for trees and shrubbery, much like the scenery they met when making their way through the small village. Naruto knew that if they were (or if he could even, rather) running full speed, they could have been there already.

Kakashi might have even been getting bored with his book. Was that even possible?

He didn't have it out in front of him, instead opting to walk carelessly with his eyes pointed toward the ground like there was something interesting down there. Naruto, personally, was tired of the forest.

"You hear that?" Kakashi finally asked, voice hushed.

Before Naruto even got a chance to answer with a 'no', they were being ambushed by familiar red and back Akatsuki cloaks as two pairs of feet landed in front of them on the solid forest floor. Kakashi took a step forward, out in front of Naruto.

"Guess this is what I'm getting paid for, huh?" He asked, sarcastic because who could even tell if they'd make it out alive. You never took Akatsuki lightly, it was an unwritten rule. Kakashi had a hard time with them in the past on his own. How was he supposed to protect himself and defend a defenseless Naruto in the process?

Naruto peaked past Kakashi's side (not over his shoulder like he used to).

Itachi and Kisame.

Of all people, that's who they had to bump into. Itachi and Kisame.

And things were happening way, way too fast for Naruto so far when hardly anything had even happened.

Akatsuki members always pop up at the most inconvenient times.

"Whatever happened to Naruto?" The Uchiha asked, "That's not very clever. I could feel that chakra miles away. There's no hiding him."

Kakashi's hand lifted to unveil his sharingan. No games. Kakashi was all defense, ready to protect Naruto at all costs. "Who says we were hiding?" He asked, one enormous bluff. This definitely was no kind of trap for Akatsuki members of any kind. They simply needed to get from Konoha to Suna.

There was no way in hell Kakashi was taking on the both of them. He struggled with just Itachi alone. For the first time in a long time, Naruto felt the cool creep of real, genuine fear.

Naruto couldn't even see Kakashi move, not at all like he normally could, until he was across the field stringing together hand signs - anything he could to keep Itachi and Kisame back, and both together. He'd have a hard time keeping his eyes on the two of them, especially with Itachi's vast arsenal of genjutsu.

He'd end up getting manhandled.

Kakashi turned, commanding, "Naruto, get out of here, fast!"

Almost like he was prepared to sacrifice himself in some huge final bang. There was really only so much he could do to hold back two Akatsuki members, especially when said thugs were only after Naruto and the kyuubi he housed inside of him.

Kakashi's hands hit the ground, thick walls of chakra infused walls springing forth at his beckoning. They did nothing.

Jutsu after jutsu after jutsu and Naruto still wasn't running. He had to do something, he couldn't just leave Kakashi here on his own. Still, Naruto couldn't force his chakra to come and without it he was relatively defenseless. There was only so much time left.

It was all boiling down to Naruto running (and hoping to not get caught down the road) or letting Kakashi's soon to be sacrifice be in vain.

As the thought occurred to him, Naruto began to feel that familiar rush of chakra that did not belong to him, an unfriendly takeover of his body. The powerful infusion of networks he wanted to come so badly.

This one foreign.

This one the Kyuubi.

He took a step back, vision blurring, body beginning to ache. He knew that there was nothing he could do to stop this, it was almost like a survival instinct that he simply flew into. Fight or flight had an addition in his case and that one was Kyuubi.

Kyuubi that, once free, could not be stopped. The seal on his stomach was weakening all the time and Naruto knew, with his last rational thought, that once it took over it wouldn't stop with just Itachi and Kisame's blood on it's claws, it'd go after Kakashi, too.

He screamed without even realizing it, the Kyuubi tearing into a vessel it was unaccustomed to. Naruto's female form might not even be able to take it.

The surge of chakra was so strong.

Naruto was far too out of it to have noticed the fighting stop or to see Kakashi's hand covering fresh blood on his side or to realize that nobody was prepared to fight the Kyuubi so straightforward - and that Itachi and Kisame had bailed. The threat of such pure power was enough to put that scrap down in a heartbeat.

And just like that it was over.

Kakashi rushed to Naruto's side, seemingly unafraid of the possibility that the Kyuubi could rear its ugly head any instant and tear him a new one.

Naruto couldn't tell. The only thing that hit was the hurt it left behind, not Kakashi's hands tugging his feather light frame off the floor.

Naruto was screaming again in pain, facing the residual effect of the Kyuubi's almost awakening in a body that really wasn't made for it. The feeling was immense, almost crippling, and all he could do about it was clutch at Kakashi as screaming turned into crying and aimless writhing. Everything burned, all over.

The more Naruto came to, the more he wished he hadn't. With each passing second he felt more like himself and less like the Kyuubi; it only made the scalding hurt more blatant.

But at least, eventually, he realized that Kakashi was there. That he was fine, they both were.

Kakashi held Naruto against him, grip tight, words pouring out of his mouth lost against Naruto's high-pitched screaming.

Kakashi probably would have had a totally different reaction to Naruto in pain like this if he was in his natural form - an all male, testosterone-laden "man up!" - but the worry in his eyes wasn't gender specific.

He was simply concerned for his student's life.

OOO

Note: I hope that didn't come out as awful as I feel like it did... Anyway, I'm glad to have it out and off my chest. Also, more importantly, as we can all see I'm taking us back to pre-shippuden before Naruto and the Kyuubi were BFFs and told each other all their little secrets and whatnot. Hopefully that won't be a problem? It's the only way I could see to make this work.


End file.
